Why Do You Have The Nerve To Show Off Your Face To Me After We Meet Again? Chapter 4

Give Me a Lift

As soon as the lunch bell rang, the students bolted. Within seconds, Gu Changshi was left alone in the classroom, stunned.

The classmate in the seat ahead had invited him to the cafeteria, warning him that if he was late, there would be no food left. However, Gu Changshi never expected them to be this fast. He had finally witnessed the legendary speed of high school seniors. Was the competition this cutthroat on the very first day? It didn’t look like it—or perhaps they just didn’t want to stay in the classroom?

Most importantly, Shen Liangyan had been the first to charge out, moving the fastest of all. Was this the secret to being ranked first in the grade? Saving every second for studying? For instance, during class earlier, while Teacher Tang was explaining safety precautions, Shen Liangyan probably had one ear open while the other was already tuned out so he could focus on practice problems.

Gu Changshi had to eat with the school leaders arranged by Assistant Feng, so he could only decline his classmates’ kindness. It seemed he would have to take some action if he wanted to get close to them.

That afternoon, he bought several large bags of snacks, intending to distribute them to his classmates to build some rapport.

He looked at Shen Liangyan, trying to figure out how to phrase his offer, when he accidentally noticed a mole on the other boy’s left earlobe. There was another one on the rim of his ear, looking almost like a piercing.

Shen Liangyan turned his head slightly, and Gu Changshi snapped back to his senses.

He hurriedly pushed several boxes of cookies and candies forward. “Which one do you like?”

Shen Liangyan took the bear biscuits closest to him, said a quick thanks, and went back to his problems.

The girl in the front seat turned around and said to Gu Changshi, “Don’t take it to heart. Shen Liangyan has a cold exterior but a warm heart. Whenever we have questions about our work, he’ll explain them to us if he has time. He’s very meticulous. You’ll realize he’s a good person once you spend more time together.”

Gu Changshi nodded repeatedly. At that moment, he really wanted to say that he already knew Shen Liangyan only looked unapproachable on the surface. In reality, the guy talked quite a bit and was actually pretty good at snarky comebacks.

After finishing the snack distribution, Gu Changshi gained a wave of goodwill from his classmates. The students around him began chatting with him, asking where he had studied before and where he lived.

The one he talked to the most was Wei Nanxing, the boy in the seat ahead. He looked like a handsome top student who also loved basketball—mature and steady, yet still possessing the energy of a youth.

To his left, across the aisle, was Ma Changyu. He had a buzz cut and was a very friendly sports student; one look was enough to tell he was straightforward and lacked any hidden agendas.

In front of Shen Liangyan sat a round-faced girl. She was the one who had just explained things on Shen Liangyan’s behalf. She wore twin ponytails and had been secretly reading a novel since the morning. She seemed like the type who couldn’t keep a secret from anyone, constantly outputting information. Everyone called her “Know-it-all Yang,” Yang Xunyan, a very energetic girl.

Today was Friday, the day for student registration. The opening ceremony would be next Monday, giving the students the weekend to adjust.

Gu Changshi returned to the apartment he had rented near the school. It wasn’t particularly far, and most of the residents were parents who had rented places to accompany their children during their studies. Students in a hurry would choose to bike to school, but after considering it, Gu Changshi found no need to save those few minutes. Walking would count as exercise.

The chef wouldn’t arrive until next week, so Gu Changshi had to find his own food for the next two days. He had made plans to play basketball with Wei Nanxing and Ma Changyu over the weekend—a final revelry before the real studying began.

To be precise, it was his final revelry. Except for Shen Liangyan, the other students had already been attending supplementary classes for a long time. They were just snatching a bit of leisure from a busy schedule, though Gu Changshi didn’t know that yet.

It was only after classes officially started and he found himself unable to keep up with the pace that he realized: this was a domestic Grade 12!

As luck would have it, when Gu Changshi went out on Saturday morning, he felt the back of the person walking ahead of him looked a lot like Shen Liangyan. At lunch, he felt the waiter wearing a mask and a hat looked a lot like Shen Liangyan. When he returned home in the evening, he felt the person opening the door across from his looked a lot like Shen Liangyan.

After two days of this, Gu Changshi couldn’t suppress his curiosity. He decided that if he ran into the person again tonight, he would say hello.

Sure enough, at around eight in the evening, he saw the other person about to open their door. Gu Changshi hurriedly called out, “Shen Liangyan?”

The person turned around at the sound, looking at him in confusion.

Gu Changshi walked up to him. “It really is you!”

Shen Liangyan: “?”

Gu Changshi was very happy to run into a classmate. “I’ve been seeing you all over the place these past two days, but I wasn’t sure if it was you. I didn’t expect you to live right across from me. We’re so destined!”

Shen Liangyan gave a flat “Oh.” Gu Changshi could feel that the other boy wasn’t as lively as he had been during their first meeting. He was practically radiating an “unapproachable” vibe. Gu Changshi knew he had to apologize properly and explain the unpleasantness from that day.

Actually, he had thought that since Shen Liangyan accepted his biscuits, they were on good terms again. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been this enthusiastic just now.

Seeing the other boy about to turn away, Gu Changshi quickly said, “Let’s go to school together from now on, desk-mate. Also, about that day…”

The door across from them was opened from the inside. A boy leaning against the door handle asked, “Yan-ge, did you forget your keys?”

Gu Changshi stared at the boy who opened the door for a few seconds. He didn’t want to dwell on who he was, what their relationship was, or why they were living together. He hurriedly told Shen Liangyan that they would meet here tomorrow morning to go to school together, then turned and went back inside.

Early the next morning, when Shen Liangyan pushed open his door, he saw Gu Changshi leaning against the elevator with one hand in his pocket. He had just finished a yawn, and a few tears were squeezed into the corners of his eyes.

Seeing Shen Liangyan approach, Gu Changshi immediately pressed the elevator button. “I knew you’d get up early. I forgot to set a time with you yesterday, so I had to wait here early. I don’t have your contact info,” he said, his tone sounding a bit aggrieved. Then, he flashed a bright smile. “So, I added you in the class group. It was too late last night, so why don’t you accept it now?”

Verification passed.

The other party immediately sent over a “bro” emoji.

G: [Gu Changshi]

SLY: [Shen Liangyan]

Hehe, matching styles.

The two walked out of the elevator. Gu Changshi chattered incessantly the whole way. “What time are we leaving for morning self-study tomorrow? How long is the opening ceremony today? Did you eat breakfast? What did you have? If you didn’t eat, what are we eating later?”

When they reached the non-motorized vehicle parking area, Shen Liangyan stopped and pointed to one of the bicycles. “I won’t be walking with you. I’m heading off first.”

“You actually ride a bike!” Gu Changshi grabbed it. Although the style was old-fashioned, the advantage was that it had a back seat. Delighted, Gu Changshi swung his long legs over and sat on the back. “Take me with you! Let’s go together! Give me a lift!”

Ever since he had shamelessly insisted on going to school together last night, this guy’s persona had completely changed.

Shen Liangyan rarely encountered someone so thick-skinned. “…”

Gu Changshi didn’t want to miss the chance. He put on a theatrically pitiful expression and looked at him, waiting for him to start pedaling.

Shen Liangyan was speechless.

His tone was unfriendly. “Why should I? Go to school yourself. I’m warning you, don’t push your luck.”

Gu Changshi wasn’t affected at all. Instead, he became even more spirited. “Give me a lift!” Sensing the other boy’s utter exasperation, he doubled down. “Let’s go, or we’ll be late! I’ll buy you snacks, okay? Please, please! It’s not like I haven’t sat on your back seat before, Shen-ge~”

Shen Liangyan broke out in goosebumps. Wanting to end this misery as quickly as possible, he snapped, “Shut up! Just this once!”

As Shen Liangyan got on, Gu Changshi adjusted his posture and reached out to wrap his arms around the other’s waist. He could clearly feel Shen Liangyan stiffen. Gu Changshi realized his mistake, gave an awkward cough, and switched to gripping the base of the seat instead.

After a few minutes of silence, Gu Changshi started talking again. “What snacks do you want? I’ll buy them for you. I’m not the type who likes to owe people. How about those bear biscuits from last time?”

Shen Liangyan hit the brakes, took a deep breath, and glared at him.

Thinking he was about to be kicked off, Gu Changshi quickly made a manual “zipping” motion across his lips.

Shen Liangyan gestured for him to look to the side. “I’m buying breakfast.” He then asked the vendor for two vegetable buns and a cup of soy milk. Just as he was about to pay, Gu Changshi beat him to it, pulling out a hundred-yuan bill. “I’ll have the same as him. I’m paying for both.”

The breakfast stall was crowded. The vendor didn’t take the hundred-yuan bill. Seeing that the two boys seemed like good friends and hearing Shen Liangyan say he didn’t need the other to pay, the vendor simply took the ten-yuan note from Shen Liangyan’s hand. “I don’t have change for a hundred. Two portions are seven yuan total. Here’s three yuan back.”

The two successfully slipped past the security guard and brought their breakfast onto campus. After parking the bike in the shed, they walked toward the classroom while eating, planning to head to the playground for the opening ceremony together later.

Finally having a quiet moment alone, Gu Changshi, who had agonized over it all night, felt he needed to give a formal apology. He still really wanted to be friends with Shen Liangyan—ideally, his best friend!

Seeing Shen Liangyan finish his breakfast, Gu Changshi proactively took the packaging and threw it in the trash. Then, he leaned back in beside him, acting a bit fidgety.

Seeing his hesitation, the other boy took the initiative to ask, “What do you want to say?”

Gu Changshi turned his head to look at him solemnly and said in one breath, “I’m sorry. Because I tried to use moral kidnapping to force you to forgive that kid last time. Later, I looked into the details of what happened. It really was that kid’s fault, and you have every right not to forgive him. I wanted to tell you this last night. I’m sorry!”

Gu Changshi rarely apologized to people so formally. He scratched his head in embarrassment, but his eyes never left Shen Liangyan’s, hoping the other could see the word “sincerity” written in them.

Shen Liangyan was stunned for a moment. He gave a soft “Mm” and quickened his pace toward the classroom. Gu Changshi could tell that his apology had been accepted. His own steps became light as he hurried to catch up.

Entering through the back door to reach their seats, Liu Zheng, who sat in front of Ma Changyu, leaned over to speak to Gu Changshi. “That was fast~” He tilted his head toward Shen Liangyan’s direction.

Gu Changshi gave him a warning look, telling him to watch it, while simultaneously turning his body to block Liu Zheng’s line of sight. Shen Liangyan didn’t have time to see Liu Zheng’s meaningful gaze.

The two in the front seats were quick to gossip. They turned around to ask what was going on, but Gu Changshi waved them off, saying it was nothing. He changed the subject by teasing them about how they had said they didn’t want to come to school, yet they had arrived quite early today.

Once Shen Liangyan reached his desk, he immediately entered study mode. Gu Changshi felt a bit relieved.